Pens & Writing Gifts
Fountain Pen Nib Sizes, and Why Yours Is Wider Than Expected
The letters are not a standard. A Japanese medium and a European medium are different pens, and nobody tells you before you buy.
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The letters, and what they roughly mean
Nib widths are labeled with letters - EF, F, M, B - and the letters are a convention rather than a standard. Each maker decides what its own F means, and the makers do not agree.
| Label | European makers | Japanese makers | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| EF - extra fine | About 0.4 mm | About 0.3 mm | Small handwriting, tight planner boxes |
| F - fine | About 0.5 mm | About 0.4 mm | The general-purpose gift default |
| M - medium | About 0.6 mm | About 0.5 mm | Letters, notes, larger handwriting |
| B - broad | About 0.8 mm | About 0.6 mm | Signatures. Not for planners. |
The Japanese and European difference
The single most useful thing on this page: a Japanese nib runs roughly one step finer than a European nib with the same letter. A Japanese medium is close to a European fine.
The usual explanation is that Japanese writing systems need finer strokes to remain legible at small sizes, and the pen makers calibrated accordingly. Whatever the origin, the effect is consistent enough to plan around.
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image LAMY Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal, Fine Nib, in Gift Box A German-made steel-nibbed fountain pen with a molded grip that teaches the hold, boxed, with the nib width stated. | A first fountain pen that is actually usable | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Black, Medium Nib A weighted brass barrel and a converter in the box, which is more pen for the money than anything else here. | A brass-bodied fountain pen with a converter included | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. A first fountain pen that is actually usable
LAMY Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal, Fine Nib, in Gift Box
A German-made steel-nibbed fountain pen with a molded grip that teaches the hold, boxed, with the nib width stated.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
A fine nib is the right default for a gift because it is the width that works in a planner. Broad and medium nibs are lovely on letter paper and unusable in a weekly grid.
The molded grip is the Safari's most divisive feature. It forces the standard tripod hold, which is genuinely helpful for a beginner and genuinely irritating for anyone who holds a pen differently.
One cartridge is not much ink. A bottle or a pack of cartridges alongside turns this from a pen into a working setup, and costs very little.
| Nib | Fine, stainless steelThe width is published, which the Parker Jotter sets do not do.Source: Amazon listing - Lamy Safari Charcoal Fine Nib Fountain Pen in Gift Box |
|---|---|
| Grip | Molded triangular grip sectionIt only allows one hold, which is a teaching aid and, for some hands, an annoyance.Source: Amazon listing - LAMY safari fountain pen |
| Supplied ink | One LAMY T10 blue cartridgeSource: Amazon listing - LAMY safari fountain pen |
| Made in | GermanySource: Amazon listing - LAMY safari fountain pen |
What it does well
- Nib width published, so you know what you are buying.
- Fine nib suits planner boxes and everyday notes.
- Boxed, German-made, and a genuine entry point rather than a novelty.
What it does not
- The molded grip does not suit every hand.
- Ships with a single cartridge and no converter.
Skip this: if the recipient writes on cheap office paper all day. Fountain-pen ink feathers and shows through on 70 gsm copier stock, and the pen will get blamed for the paper. See ink and bleed-through.
2. A brass-bodied fountain pen with a converter included
PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Black, Medium Nib
A weighted brass barrel and a converter in the box, which is more pen for the money than anything else here.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Including a converter is the single most useful thing a gift fountain pen can do. Without one the recipient is locked to proprietary cartridges until they work out what a converter is and buy one.
Japanese nibs run finer than European ones at the same nominal width, so this medium sits closer to a European fine. If the recipient wants a genuinely fine line, this is arguably a better planner pen than its label suggests.
The brass barrel gives it a heft that reads as expensive. That is the whole trick of this pen and it is why it appears on every beginner list.
| Nib | Medium, stainless steelSource: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
|---|---|
| Body | Brass barrel with stainless accentsBrass is why it feels heavier than its price suggests.Source: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
| Supplied | One black ink cartridge and a Pilot press-plate converterThe converter is the part rivals leave out; it lets the recipient use bottled ink on day one.Source: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
| Packaging | Keepsake gift boxSource: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
What it does well
- Converter included, so bottled ink works out of the box.
- Brass body feels well above its price.
- Japanese medium writes finer than a European medium, which suits planner use.
What it does not
- Medium is still wider than a Safari fine; for very small boxes, choose the fine.
- Plain black barrel is understated to the point of anonymous as a gift.
Skip this: if you want the gift to look like an event. It is a superb pen and a visually quiet one; the Cross Bailey does the ceremony better.
Which width for which use
- A planner. Fine, or a Japanese medium. Planner boxes are small and a broad nib fills one with a single word.
- A journal, freeform. Medium is pleasant here. There is room, and a wider line shows more of the ink's character.
- Small handwriting. Extra fine, or a Japanese fine. Anything wider blurs the letterforms together.
- Signatures and cards. Broad. It is what a broad nib is for.
- Cheap paper. The finest you can tolerate. Less ink means less feathering - see ink and bleed-through.
Why width and wetness are not the same thing
Two pens with the same nominal width can put down noticeably different amounts of ink, because flow depends on the feed as well as the slit. A wet fine can lay down more ink than a dry medium.
Nobody publishes flow rate, so this is not something you can check before buying. It is worth knowing mainly so that a nib behaving unexpectedly does not read as a defect.
Buying a nib width as a gift
Buy fine, unless you know otherwise. It is the width that works in the most situations: usable in a planner, fine enough for cheap paper, not so fine that it feels scratchy on good paper.
And buy a pen whose nib width is published. Several gift sets do not state it at all, which means you cannot make this decision even if you want to. Fountain pen gift sets flags which ones publish it.
Questions people actually ask
What nib size should I buy?
Fine, unless you know otherwise. It works in a planner, tolerates cheap paper, and does not feel scratchy on good paper.
Are Japanese nibs finer than European ones?
Yes, by roughly one step. A Japanese medium is close to a European fine, which is consistent enough across makers to plan around.
What nib size is best for a planner?
Fine, or a Japanese medium. Planner boxes are small and a broad nib can fill one with a single word.
Do manufacturers publish nib widths in millimeters?
Almost never. They publish the letter and leave the width to the hobby to work out, which is why any figure in millimeters is an approximation rather than a specification.
Why do two fine nibs write differently?
Width and wetness are separate. Flow depends on the feed as well as the slit, so a wet fine can lay down more ink than a dry medium. No maker publishes flow rate.